Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve

Rich figgy nose. Petrichor, dark malt and caramel. Deep madagascar vanilla. Milder on the palate, bready challah, exotic spices accumulate and intensify before the long bittersweet finish. A gentle, warming (non-peat) smokiness builds in the back of the throat. Easily appreciable, eminently satisfying. Thanks as usual to the extemporaneous Pranay for the sample! Dry glass: dry malt.

Finally, some down time this weekend to take another, slow, quiet, whisky journey. With a graciously Pranay-provided sample, the journey begins. A lovely warming and rich (artificial?) amber/copper color begins stirring the imagination. The nose is lovely and inviting with a sweet and fruity bouquet. An eloquent sherry foundation with figs, raisins, brown sugar, and caramel apples. Subtle notes of vanilla waft deep down along with dark chocolate, maple syrup, mixed nuts; predominantly pecans and walnuts. These notes take time to arrive. Be sure to be patient to get the full spectrum of aromas. With a nose like this, the body must be just as complex. (Vinyl record scratch…) What? Confusion! Double-take! The palate is not as varietal as the nose; surprisingly and extremely thin. Not what I was expecting, given the nose. The nutty flavors come through along with a touch of wood, vanilla, raisins and cinnamon spice. And just as fast as the sip comes, it goes, fading to a short finish. The palate is left with raspberries, oak and a bit of sugar and spice: vanilla, nutmeg, finally revealing a bit of orange zest. A wonderful complex nose, deceiving in what comes forth, which is delivered in a somewhat simple and short-lived package. Enjoyable? Yes. But I was looking/expecting more from this dram. I did find that the previous Cigar Malt (not this Reserve whisky) was richer, deeper and sweeter that had a long-lasting, maple syrupy finish and I recall liking that version more so than this version. Additionally, the previous version could be found at ⅓ less the cost of the Reserve Cigar Malt. I still would like to sample with a cigar to get the full experience. That being said, Bushmills Black Bush works very well with a cigar. Both have the same viscosity and both are Oloroso sherry influenced. However, Black Bush is ~$100 cheaper. [Dry Glass: Honeysuckle, vanilla and damp earth][86/100][Tasted: 2/11/17]